SAM Magazine-Jay, Vt., Sept. 1, 2010-A three-way land swap at Jay Peak clears the way for base area and on-mountain expansions, including replacement of the area's old Stateside lodge and upgrading lifts. The deal also allows future development on the mountain while providing a buffer between the resort and the Long Trail, a 273-mile hiking trail that is part of the Appalachian Trail system.

Under the swap agreement, the state transfers ownership of 59.8 acres to Jay Peak, land that the ski area had been leasing. Jay Peak returns 418 acres of nearby land it had previously leased from the state, and sells 166 acres of ridgeline to the Green Mountain Club and the state. This creates a permanent buffer between future ski-area development and a 3.5-mile stretch of the Long Trail. The arrangement includes limitations on Jay's terrain expansion into a bowl below the Long Trail, but the area's plan for this intermediate-oriented area doesn't require access to the ridgeline.

The swap reduces Jay Peak's leasehold to 841.2 acres, down from its original 1,319 acres. Most of the trails and lifts are on leased land, while Jay's newer base-area development is on land owned by the resort.

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